Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/90/1 - October 1917 - Part 9

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Awaiting approval
Accession number:
RCDIG1066658
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

N 32 R today nebeke on 190 slaves came Se over ofours were 4 The germs put down there one teothers had to retire the fing flew over a pert. 3000 feet came back at then pire machine gune 1000 feet king party t This the camalis no cam 2 t later dow an on the benage 9 a killed Capt Cline Fernees + Sinclard. taken Burgin 13B38e has on X. He as repuse X measiona priest - Hes Synid from Palestin of
as 33 read Egypt before athy Co p Wm dH Bde ws posted ow archt Carr adnt approve 44 tim till trew more h ao hi t Priffitt lit Stretehy bearer till thes ed be ofta nation of t osees we 650 spoke anget wathdon Even an 4 20 Man M t tared 105 Te also 13 B X He but stat 5li take it. depe 8en good win £1 Cole Seoth Col. Crowspan $
84 me ber 5918 89 a come their without o reftes noticed. i made one wonder if ther hand been a treat back in their partof line. Murdad s it ws Diblin whos ordered a rewianig, but may had comng bock 31 Sebbo Majo hrave alsd 4 62 Sept. 20 Iforce nce 114 Bo. a sptended stael Atsz Major who wa a Serff. Instructor off we the sustiate Sct. wake of 11/12/ latel 1715 went I o 15 On 4 Withing 4 up with ficts whole ofthe Fen hat we have which on country piet fet some fout the Feoners mud the rats Broodseind Ridge the via Dickebusch yous through moto d te road as far 54 up the Then wattn out. O thaf we road along was ast the Even very kichl
06 where yt. Ridge egent comes tere th under e at of ashen Sacte 3aush Jackson Col. of as met He had Dem cone t Frontling. fom He wape us that Cannaus tint in the Roat the Hr tin intermittinty shelled had been House I opposite tote any Bremcy &t 4mates tn had gust. kitted there ot over t H5 we Feghty Ridge ferman th was enthuly clrg roav Shells the right strugs of eadteas accessonal packmato had they been passing tr
the cleanet before ill Soliteo the range there parties were of men Toms monii tim at t4 took it t hersev we Salop t avoid detain 5light a fir Sts Th I place Jns fir quick (there were 6n Flop fell We short have stope forward. yeo thd te to0k careful the Red at Pasen dach Wear of it ther still ad tia tbe there st on watte te m loee tou
88 up there badle cut driver tyey their dead at them pt 2 crest 0 th A t 67 ridge Anac extenation its t foud some eatete Feoncers the at 3oad Work near antstanding very 2 which I spotowaytnd. duont Several waysons bying be Froad also showed I diffice had worked andu artitlery a prot of Rise t01 record or werd He fermans beh Shetting the ared with fairt us now we walkedon big stuff
87 2oad p till it de rty 2 crowsed Just Gonnetie to. for near before ths a red brick satch seemed in Dearth wh cotty where show to been once had Witking a stoto took Enbantement the Ratilwar thoad crosse wthen the followed embankt we. the the embant along. In ma kin Bod Peones were a log road immediately of te to tee under on its Northern Enbank Sich I po topapped te held up sheet of water
30 0 gun ohel 3 t 144 Birdi ply Rd gasoned $ Goin Church 57 01 th side S0 oa the rly us& Pounebet between the was Villagt wooden aurdle lot of old revetment bying watergn His it (what ly been is 2ot know). the my shoto k Walten rly Some showed the down it from wen to 5.9 shell cutlin 1 the trusting perpetual w 2y benide the close a mach bipen one D just beyond Ponnebede heruins standin Church. up black against the bursts. (ihis went on all (afternoon)
32 S ptit Withins took then mud of the phot dam Foneird the One of an othen wok their tort to inakes wanter we oyr don tind 8 left new across a we struck lef fwh 46 road were working 3rd di on There ws still puty let al til 50 Sum ti it it en stuck hed Spoton Wilkins w4 road cross they wenta abe t a ast tept Lt in shell doles campet a smalll 3rd Drn fatigue of tommces buryingdeed
havebeek Faschendal. E 4 S3 then i up o on hell top (some where the near imagine). 44 46 we found Ont the top ocretors almost face tae Gao Ste Paschen daele 4 by Mosscheete long spud to the of its Htook left into the vatiy down on the left. Radebeck the down 64 The before as leserted was enteret not very badly & atleastd Shetpit to wath down e ws at a god sac. If esmen it title used probebt 47 to

                                                                                                                     

MH Bergin

D40    82
on / Zonnebeke Rd today
5 Germ. planes came
over; 4 of ours were
there. The Germs put down
one; the others had to
retire; the Germs flew
over at perh. 3000 feet;
then one came back at
1000 feet machine gunning
the working party. This
caused no casualties. But
an hour later down
came a barrage on the
Pioneers & killed Capt? (Lieut)
Sinclair.
Father Burgin, 13 Bde
has bn k. He ws a refugee
priest - Jesuit Missionary
from Palestine or Syria & 
 

 

Errey

D40     83
reached Egypt before
/ Gallipoli Campaign. He
ws posted to the 2nd H Bde,
but Archbp. Carr wdnt
approve of him till he
knew more of him. He
Griffiths let him in as
stretcher bearer till their
sanction cd be obtained.
^At Pozieres He ws spoken of to me: of as - "well
if ever an angel walked on
earth tt man is one.
Maj. Howell Price ws
also k - 1st Bn. He ws
offered a staff job but
wrote refusing to take it.
Lieut Goodwin of 8 Bn,
Col. Scott, Col. Crowshaw, Lt Ernie,
56                              53               8 

 

 84    D40


 X & met a number of 37 Bn
coming out, ^many without their
rifles, I noticed. It made
one wonder if there had
been a break back in
their part o / line, Murdoch
says it ws Giblin who's ordered a
retirement, but men had come 
back first.                                                                                                                                        

85

& Maj ^Gibbs have also bn lost to
/ force since Sept. 20.
Also Major Steele, 11th Bn - a splendid
officer who ws a Sergt. Instructor
in Australia & ws the 
making of 11 Bn. lately
Oct.
17th
On Oct 15. I went 
up with Wilkins to get a 
general view of the whole
country over which we have
fought, & get some pictures
of the mud, the Pioneers, &
the Broodseinde Ridge crater.
we motored ^via Dickebusch
through Ypresx
up the Politjze road as far
as we could. Then walked.
Nero Broarix Traffic
was going along the road
very thickly, even past the 

 86

D40     86
Frezenberg Ridge where it
comes directly under the 
observation of Paschendaele.
Col. Jackson of 3rd Aust. 
Divn met us - He had just
come from his front line.
He warned us that Cannan's
HQrs (in the kink in the road)
had been intermittently shelled
(Bremen House - opposite Potsdam)
& tt 4 mules had just bn
killed there.
As we got over the Frezenberg
Ridge the German was putting
shells right onto close to the road - 
ahead - teams & strings of
packmules had occasionally
been passing but they
 

 87

D40     87
cleared before he got 
the range. Isolated small
parties of men were there
moving all / time - some
4 horsemen took it at a 
gallop - & we made
a slight detour to avoid
/ place. The German shells
(there were 2 guns firing) quickly
fell short. We stopped on
/ forward slope to have a
careful look thro' / glasses
at Paschendaele - the Red
X flag was still there ^west of it - indeed
there seemed to be several.
We walked on past
Bremen. The four mules were
 

 

D40     88
there badly cut up, &
their driver lying dead
amongst them.
At the crest o / next
ridge (Anzac - or rather 
its extension) we found
some Pioneers calmly
working at the Road
near a very outstanding
dugout, which I photographed.
Several waggons lying by
/ road also showed / difficulty
/ artillery had worked under
- & I took a photo of these
for record.
The Germans were
shelling the area behind
us, now, with fairly
big stuff. We walked on

 

D40     89
up / road till it
crossed / rly & made
for Zonnebeke. Just
before this - near where
a red brick patch
in / earth wh seemed
to show where a cottage
had once been -
Wilkins took a photo of
the Railway embankment -
T When the Road crossed
the Embankt we followed
the Embankt along. The
3rd Pioneers were making
a log road immediately
under the lee of the
Embankt, on it's Northern
Side. I photographed the
sheet of water held up
 

 

90
Hand drawn diagram - see original


D40     91
on the South side o / 
rly between us & Zonnebeke
Village - there was a
lot of old wooden hurdle
revetment lying waterlogged
in it - (what ^this had
been I do not know).
Wilkin I think my photo 
showed the rly & some
men coming down it from
the cutting. A 5.9 shell
ws perpetually bursting
close beside the rly,
& a much bigger one in 
Zonnebeke just beyond /
church, the ruins standing
up black against the bursts.
(This went on all / afternoon).
 

 

D40     92
Wilkins took, I think, a 
photo of the mud; & then
one of the Pioneers doing
their work; & then, as
we wanted to make for the 
left & go round our line,
we struck across a new
road to / left (wh /
3rd Div were working on
still further left). There ws
a gun completely
stuck in it, & its limber,
wh Wilkins photographed.
We went across this road,
up / hill past some a few of the
3rd Divn camped ^in shell holes & a small
fatigue of Tommies burying dead. 
 

 

Hand drawn diagram - see original

D40     93
& then on up & over
the hill top (somewhere near
Hill 40, I imagine).
On the top we found
ourselves almost face to face
with Paschendaele & the
long spur by Moorslede
to the left of it, & looking
down into the valley of
the Ravebeek on the left.
The down slope before us
was entirely deserted -
& not very badly
shellpitted - at least it
ws easy to walk down
it at a good pace. It seemed
to be very little used, probably
 

 
Last edited by:
Deb ParkinsonDeb Parkinson
Last edited on:

Last updated: